The Carolina Mills, now idle, were once part of an active woolen manufacturing complex in the village of Carolina (part of both Charlestown and Richmond, Rhode Island). Carolina's industrial history began in 1802 when Joseph Nichols, attracted by the Pawcatuck River's available waterpower, constructed a grist mill. In 1834, Aaron and Sands Kenyon purchased the grist mill grounds and the surrounding 300 acres. By 1841, Rowland G. Hazard had bought most of the land on both sides of the river and began developing the village he named Carolina (Mills) in honor of his wife, Carolina Newbold Hazard.

It was Hazard who started the woolen industry spinning at the Carolina Mills site. In 1842, he was manufacturing cotton products in a stone mill, but in 1862 he changed production to woolen manufacture. In 1863, Hazard sold the mill complex to the Peace Dale Manufacturing Company, which in turn sold the property rights a few months later to Theophilus Hyde. In 1868, Rowland G. Hazard assumed ownership, and in 1869 deeded the property to Messrs. Tinkham, Metcalf and Company.

From 1872 to approximately 1935, the Carolina Mills Company owned and operated the mills for the manufacture of fancy cassimeres and other woolen products. Machinery and labor existed to accomplish all aspects of woolen manufacture from preliminary processes such as carding, through weaving and finishing. The 1900 Textile World Directory listed the company running 50 looms with water and steam power. The 1920 edition of the directory listed 48 looms in operation.

In 1925, the Carolina Company experienced financial difficulties from slacking orders, and in 1926 ceased production. Interestingly, at the same time the mills closed, John Hinchliffe, president of Carolina Mills Company, formed a new corporation called the Caro Cloth Company with himself as president. The Carolina Company then leased its plants to the Caro Cloth to develop a patented fabric process. In 1929, the Carolina Company was still leasing its plants to Caro Company and using the resulting funds to pay interest on bonds, taxes and expenses.

By 1935, the Caro Cloth venture had dissolved, and the ACME Corporation assumed ownership of the Carolina Mills from the Empire Trust Co. in a trustee's sale. ACME never used the mills for manufacturing, but records exist from the 1940-50s that document ownership by Paul Broomfield, a seller of textile machinery. Perhaps ACME hired Broomfield to sell its assets. Most of the machinery has gone, and vandals and several fires ravaged the buildings.

Open for research.

Terms governing use and reproduction: Photocopying and scanning of materials is a fee based service available in the repository and is allowed at the discretion of the Archivist when in compliance to the Unit's policy on copyright and publication.

Preferred Citation

Records of the Carolina Mills, 1869-1956, Ms. 104, University of Rhode Island Library.

Scope and Content Note

The records of the Carolina Mills, Carolina, Rhode Island were recovered from the abandoned mills after a fire and deposited in the Special Collections Department of the University of Rhode Island Library in 1982 by the University Archivist. The collection is incomplete and in poor condition. Only a scattering of records remain, leaving traces of the mills' history from early owners Tinkham, Metcalf and Company to the last occupant, Paul Broomfield.

Most of the records date from the time that the Carolina Company actively ran the mill (1872-1926). Records were probably lost as owners changed, and as vandals and fires attacked the abandoned mills. Fire and mold growth damaged most of the remaining records.

After processing, the records were organized into two series as follows: Series 1, Subject Files; and Series 2, Invoices and Receipts.

Series one, Subject Files, 1869-1956, documents the business and financial activities of the owners of the Carolina Mills and includes annual reports, bank statements, check registers, correspondence, order books and worker time sheets.

Series two, Invoices and Receipts, 1869-1926, contains records of purchases and sales made by the Carolina Mills' owners.

Arrangement

The papers are arranged in two series:
1. Subject Files2. Invoices and Receipts

Acquisitions Information

The records of the Carolina Mills were recovered from the abandoned mills after a fire and deposited in the Special Collections Department of the University of Rhode Island Library in 1982 by the University Archivist.

This series contains records accumulated during the administration of business and financial activities. Topics focus mainly on financial concerns such as bank accounts, taxes, and stocks and bonds. Other topics include automobile cloth contracts, Caro Cloth Company, business statistics, and Peace Dale Manufacturing Company.

Types of records include account sales sheets, annual reports, correspondence, check registers, cloth samples, order books and bank statements. Of specific interest are the workers time sheets which date from 1914-1916 and record the names of workers, hours, and sometimes the pay.

The records in this series are arranged alphabetically by subject or type of record and chronologically within folders.

This series contains incoming and outgoing receipts accumulated by Carolina Mills' owners to record purchases and sales. The receipts date from the ownership of Tinkham, Metcalf and Company to the last days of active mill production for the Carolina Mills Company, and are by no means a complete record of purchases and sales for that time span.

This series is first divided by type of record (incoming or outgoing) and then arranged chronologically within folders.